Nearly 1.6 million travelers expected at Chicago airports for busiest travel weekend since pandemic

CHICAGO (CBS)– July 4th weekend is expected to be the busiest travel weekend since the start of the pandemic. 

About 1.6 million travelers are expected to pass through Chicago airports. O’Hare Airport is expected a 17% jump in travelers and a 37% increase is expected at Midway Airport compared to this same weekend last year. 

CBS 2 has been reporting on flight cancellations due to staffing issues during the pandemic. 

Ahead of the busy travel weekend, Delta Airlines is giving passengers the chance to rebook their flights without any fees. Passengers flying through the July 4th holiday, qualify for the “rebook waiver.”

This comes as airlines try to restaff after down-sizing during the pandemic, which has been a huge part of flight delays and cancellations.

If you don’t want to change your flight, but you’re worried about it getting cancelled, sign up for email alerts from your airline if you haven’t already

Flight Aware is another great resource to stay on top of your flight status.

That way you can act fast and either ask for a refund or even a hotel room should a delay or cancellation happen to you.